Revelstoke () is a city in southeastern

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada, with a census population of 8,275 in 2021. Revelstoke is located east of

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, and west of

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

, Alberta. The city is situated on the banks of the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

just south of the

Revelstoke Dam Revelstoke Dam, also known as Revelstoke Canyon Dam, is a hydroelectric dam (combined earthfill dam and gravity dam) spanning the Columbia River, north of Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. The powerhouse was completed in 1984 and has an inst ...

and near its confluence with the

Illecillewaet River The Illecillewaet River is a tributary of the Columbia River located in British Columbia, Canada. Fed by the Illecillewaet Glacier in Glacier National Park, the river flows approximately to the southwest,Selkirk Mountains The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia which are part of a larger grouping of mountains, the Columbia Mountains. They begin at Mic ...

and Glacier National Park, penetrated by Rogers Pass used by the Trans-Canada Highway and the Canadian Pacific Railway. South of the community down the Columbia River are the

Arrow Lakes The Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada, divided into Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake, are widenings of the Columbia River. The lakes are situated between the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashee Mountains to the west. Beac ...

Mount Begbie Mount Begbie is a mountain summit located in the Gold Range of the Monashee Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. Situated west of the Columbia River high above the shore of Upper Arrow Lake, this prominent peak is visible from the Trans-Ca ...

, and the

Kootenays The Kootenays or Kootenay ( ) is a region of southeastern British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Kutenai First Nations people. Boundaries The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Koote ...

. West of the city is Eagle Pass through the

Monashee Mountains The Monashee Mountains are a mountain range lying mostly in British Columbia, Canada, extending into the U.S. state of Washington. They stretch from north to south and from east to west. They are a sub-range of the Columbia Mountains. The hig ...

and the route to

Shuswap Lake Shuswap Lake (pronounced /ˈʃuːʃwɑːp/) is a lake located in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada that drains via the Little Shuswap River into Little Shuswap Lake. Little Shuswap Lake is the source of the South Thompson River ...

History

Revelstoke was founded in the 1880s when the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

(CPR) was built through the area; mining was an important early industry. The name was originally Farwell, after a local land owner and surveyor. In yet earlier days, the spot was called the "Second Crossing" to differentiate it from the first crossing of the Columbia River by the Canadian Pacific Railway at

Donald Donald is a Scottish masculine given name. It is derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinter ...

. The city was named by the Canadian Pacific Railway in appreciation of Lord Revelstoke, head of Baring Brothers & Co., the UK investment bank that, in partnership with Glyn, Mills & Co., saved the Canadian Pacific Railway from bankruptcy in the summer of 1885 by buying the company's unsold bonds, enabling the railway to reach completion. The post office dates from 1886. The construction of the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...

in 1962 further eased access to the region, and since then, tourism has been an important feature of the local economy, with

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

having emerged as the most prominent attraction.

Mount Revelstoke National Park Mount Revelstoke National Park is a national park located adjacent to the city of Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. The park is relatively small for a national park, covering . It is located in the Selkirk Mountains and was founded in 1914. ...

is just north of the town. The construction of

Revelstoke Mountain Resort Revelstoke Mountain Resort (RMR) is a ski resort on Mount Mackenzie, just outside Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. It is owned by Northland Properties. Currently, the resort has a vertical drop, the longest vertical descent of any ski res ...

, a major new ski resort on Mount MacKenzie, just outside town, has been underway since late 2005 and first opened during the 2007-2008 ski season. Revelstoke is also the site of a railway museum. Revelstoke is situated in prime black bear and grizzly bear habitat. In 1994, the Revelstoke garbage dump was fenced with an electric fence, preventing bears from feeding on the garbage. The population of bears that had been feeding at the dump turned to town to forage for food, and many were destroyed as "nuisance bears." The destruction of so many bears led to the creation of an education program meant to keep bears wild and the community safe. Revelstoke holds the Canadian record for the snowiest single winter. of snow fell on Mt. Copeland outside town during the winter of 1971–72. That works out to just over of snow. The townsite received , and snow levels were higher than many roofs around town by more than a few metres.

Economy

Revelstoke's economy has traditionally been tied to the

(CPR), and it still maintains a strong connection to that industry. However, forestry, construction, tourism, and retail have increased over the past decades. The Revelstoke Railway Museum is a recognition of the town's continued attachment to the Canadian Pacific Railway and continues to be an important tourist attraction. Revelstoke is also the location of the

, which was constructed on the

and completed in 1984. In 1986, to offset the economic effects of the completed hydroelectric project and the temporary closure of the local sawmill, the City of Revelstoke undertook a downtown revitalization program, which was completed with marked success. The city is served by

Revelstoke Airport Revelstoke Airport is located south southeast of Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. Expansion plan On December 7, 2011, the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District (CRSD) announced an expansion plan for the airport. While some parts of the plan ...

. A small ski resort featuring a single short lift has operated on Mount MacKenzie since the 1960s, and

snowcat skiing A ski lift is a mechanism for transporting skiers up a hill. Ski lifts are typically a paid service at ski resorts. The first ski lift was built in 1908 by German Robert Winterhalder in Schollach/ Eisenbach, Hochschwarzwald. Types * Aerial ...

was offered for higher altitudes. A strong movement pushed to expand the entire mountain into a single resort, and construction started in the early 2000s.

opened in the winter of 2007/8 and boasts North America's greatest vertical at 1,713 metres (5,620 ft). The resort also offers 3,121 acres of fall line skiing, high alpine bowls, 13 areas of gladed terrain and more groomed terrain. Revelstoke Mountain Resort was also the only resort world-wide to offer lift, cat, heli and backcountry skiing from one village base. Though economic conditions starting in late 2008 have deferred its initial plans, the resort will continue development with new lifts, hotels/condos and a golf course planned for 2025

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Revelstoke had a population of 8,275 living in 3,354 of its 3,739 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 7,562. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Ethnicity

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Revelstoke included: *

Irreligion Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism, ...

(5,645 persons or 69.0%) *

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

(2,265 persons or 27.7%) *

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

(55 persons or 0.7%) *

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

(40 persons or 0.5%) *

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

(40 persons or 0.5%) *

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

(35 persons or 0.4%) *

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

(10 persons or 0.1%) *Other (95 persons or 1.2%)

Sports

Revelstoke has produced some talented athletes in winter sports, notably

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

. The former local

BCJHL The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is an independent Canadian Junior ice hockey league with 21 teams in British Columbia and Alberta. It was classified as a Junior "A" league within the Hockey Canada framework, until it became independe ...

team, the Revelstoke Bruins, had a number of future

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

ers on its roster in the 1970s and 1980s, including Bruce Holloway, Ron Flockhart, and Rudy Poeschek. The current Revelstoke

Kootenay International Junior Hockey League The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) is a junior ice hockey league in British Columbia, Canada and Washington (state), Washington, USA sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The winner of the Teck Resources, Teck Cup competes with the ch ...

team is the

Revelstoke Grizzlies The Revelstoke Grizzlies are a Junior 'A' Ice Hockey team based in Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Bill Ohlhausen Division of the Okanagan/Shuswap Conference of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL ...

, the former KIJHL team of locally born Aaron Volpatti. Another notable professional hockey player for the Austrian Hockey League is Andrew Kozek, who was also born in Revelstoke. Norwegian immigrants brought skiing and

ski jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...

to Revelstoke, and by the 1910s, several ski jumping hills had been built around the town. Revelstoke Ski Club was founded in 1914 and, by the following year, had reached 102 members. The pinnacle of the club was the annual Winter Carnival Tournament. The first tournament was held in 1915 and had, in addition to

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

competitions, ski jumping competitions for boys under 16 and the title of Champion of British Columbia. Nels Nelsen Hill, first known as Big Hill, opened in 1916. Revelstoke became an international center for ski jumping, attracting the world elite for the annual tournament. Revelstoke's own

Nels Nelsen Nels Nelsen (3 June 1894 – 3 June 1943), born Nils Johan Nilsen and sometimes referred to as Nels Nelson, was a Norwegian-born Canadian ski jumper active between 1916 and 1932. Later he was ski jumping organizer. He was among the world's bes ...

set the

world records A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

in the hill, at 73 meters (240 ft) in 1925 and set by Bob Lymburne in 1932. The hill was completely renovated by 1948, leading to further international tournaments. The town even considered placing a bid for the

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. The 1968 Winter Games marked the first time ...

. However, throughout the 1960s, the interest in ski jumping was declining, with subsequent consequences for the number of spectators. The last tournament was held in 1975. Revelstoke Freeride World Tour

Due to the heavy snowfall in the area, Revelstoke is home to four heli-skiing and two cat-skiing operations. There are numerous backcountry skiing lodges in the area. Revelstoke is also a major snowmobiling destination. In the summer, mountain biking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting and kayaking are popular activities. In 2010, Revelstoke became part of a select group of ski resorts to feature the Freeskiing World Tour. After a successful trial of combining European and North American skiing tours starting with Revelstoke in 2012, the Swatch Freeride World Tour, Freeskiing World Tour and The North Face Masters of Snowboarding announced a merger that combined all three tours under one unified global 5-star championship series. The six-stop world tour, named the Swatch Freeride World Tour by the North Face, includes freeride skiing and snowboarding at each stop, starting with Revelstoke, Canada and ending with Verbier, Switzerland. Starting in 2015, Revelstoke has hosted the Red Bull Cold Rush, fusing the disciplines of backcountry slopestyle, big mountain, cliffs, and alpine ski touring. The world's premier skiers are invited to battle it out for a chunk of the $36,000 prize purse, which is awarded in a peer-judged format to the most versatile, well-rounded athletes. In 2011, Revelstoke locals Michael Curran and Stephanie Ells formed the "Revelstoke Roller Derby Association." The league's premier team, the Derailers, held its debut bouts in the summer of 2012 and won both home games.

Education

School District 19 Revelstoke School District 19 Revelstoke is a public school district in Revelstoke, British Columbia. Schools References See also *List of school districts in British Columbia The province of British Columbia in Canada is divided into 60 school distri ...

operates public schools in Revelstoke and surrounding areas. The '' Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique'' operates one Francophone school: ''école des Glaciers'' primary school.

Films

The 1937 British movie '' The Great Barrier'', starring

Lilli Palmer Lilli Palmer (; born Lilli Marie Peiser; 24 May 1914 – 27 January 1986) was a German actress and writer. After beginning her career in British films in the 1930s, she would later transition to major Hollywood productions, earning a Golden Glob ...

, depicted the building of the

and featured location shooting from Revelstoke. Some scenes in the 1999 action thriller ''

Double Jeopardy In jurisprudence, double jeopardy is a procedural defence (primarily in common law jurisdictions) that prevents an accused person from being tried again on the same (or similar) charges following an acquittal or conviction and in rare cases ...

'', starring

Ashley Judd Ashley Tyler Ciminella, known professionally as Ashley Judd (born April 19, 1968), is an American actress and activist. She grew up in a family of performing artists, the daughter of country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of country ...

and

Tommy Lee Jones Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Tommy Lee Jones, various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and two Scre ...

, were filmed in Revelstoke, notably the historic courthouse. ''The Barber'' (2001), starring

Malcolm McDowell Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor; 13 June 1943) is an English actor. He first became known for portraying Mick Travis in Lindsay Anderson's ''if....'' (1968), a role he later reprised in ''O Lucky Man!'' (1973) and ''Britannia Hospital ...

, was almost entirely filmed in Revelstoke and features the town name displaced as Revelstoke, Alaska. In 2017, the

Hallmark Channel Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies. ...

original movie '' Frozen in Love'', starring

Rachael Leigh Cook Rachael Leigh Cook (born October 4, 1979) is an American actress and model. She has starred in the films ''The Baby-Sitters Club (film), The Baby-Sitters Club'' (1995), ''She's All That'' (1999), and ''Josie and the Pussycats (film), Josie and ...

and

Niall Matter Niall Matter ( ; born October 20, 1980) is a Canadian-American actor. Following recovery from a serious accident sustained while working on an oil rig, Matter chose to pursue a full-time acting career. He received his first significant break in 2 ...

, was filmed in the area.

Climate

Revelstoke experiences a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfb''). Summers are generally warm and rainy with cool nights, while winters are cold, snowy and very cloudy. Revelstoke on average experiences 50.3 days below 0 °C (32 °F), 13.5 days above 30 °C (86 °F) and one day above 35 °C (95 °F). The highest single-day snowfall recorded was 60.2 cm (23.7 in) and occurred on December 10, 1980, and the highest-ever snow depth recorded was 173 cm (68.1 in) and occurred on February 15, 1982. The highest temperature ever recorded in Revelstoke was on July 17, 1941. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on January 11, 1909, January 20, 1935 and January 18, 1943.

Neighbourhoods

There are 15 officially recognized neighbourhoods within the City of Revelstoke:City of Revelstoke Official Community Plan Map 8 - Neighbourhoods
/ref> *Arrow Heights *Big Eddy *Central Business *Central Revelstoke *Clearview Heights *Columbia Park *CPR Hill *Farwell/Mountain View *Highway Corridor *Kelly Flats/Dalles * Resort Lands *South Revelstoke *Johnson Heights *Thomas Brook *Westside Road

Notable people

Sophie Atkinson Sophie Atkinson (28 November 1876 – 5 May 1972), born Sophia Mildred Atkinson, was an English watercolour landscape painter and illustrator. Biography Atkinson was born at Newcastle upon Tyne, England, on 28 November 1876. She was the d ...

— English watercolour landscape painter and illustrator *

Douglas Boyle Vice Admiral Douglas Seaman Boyle CMM, CD (29 November 1923 – 23 July 2001) was a Canadian Forces officer who served as Commander of Maritime Command from 21 August 1973 to 14 June 1977. Career Boyle joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1939 an ...

— Canadian Forces officer * Buck Crump — Canadian businessman * Bruce Holloway — Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman *

William Stewart King William 'Bill' King (September 15, 1930 - December 3, 2020) was a former British Columbia politician from Revelstoke, British Columbia, Revelstoke. King was a member of Dave Barrett's 1972 BC NDP provincial government, serving in the post of Min ...

—former British Columbia politician * Andrew Kozek — former professional ice hockey player * Peter Morales — American former president of the Unitarian Universalist Association *

John Nunziata John Nunziata ( , ; born January 4, 1955) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician. He first served as an Alderman in the Borough of York from 1978 to 1982. He served three terms as a Liberal MP in the House of Commons of Canada from York Sout ...

— Canadian lawyer and former politician * Sid Parker — former New Democratic Party member of the House of Commons of Canada * Thomas Scott — Canadian military figure, Manitoba Member of the Legislative Assembly, Member of Parliament * Robert Fletcher Shaw — Canadian businessman, academic, civil servant * Aaron Volpatti — former professional ice hockey winger

Notes

References

Sources

Canadian Railway Hall of Fame
*

External links

* * {{Authority control Cities in British Columbia British Columbia populated places on the Columbia River All pages needing cleanup